


Present In the Past

by MintyBubba



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Action/Adventure, BAMF Sawada Tsunayoshi, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, I swear I'll finish this, M/M, Rewrite, Smart Sawada Tsunayoshi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-04-18 20:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4719929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyBubba/pseuds/MintyBubba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He just wanted to finish his work. That's all. He didn't ask to be sent somewhere he never expected to be. He, as sure as hell, did not sign up for this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sawada Tsunayoshi, or Tsuna, for short, could only stare at the new piles stacked at his desk in exasperation. He had been gone for a short break. There was a new caffè that he enjoyed frequenting since its grand opening. The pastries and desserts there were fast become a guilty pleasure of his, particularly the pumpkin tiramisu. In that span of time, which really couldn't have been more than thirty minutes, he had amassed even more work than he had originally started out with. 

He took a long sip from his cooling coffee before letting out a small huff. He didn't know why he bothered thinking that he had managed a free afternoon. He gave the piles another considering look. With the amount he had now, he would be lucky if he could make a sizeable dent before the dinner meeting with the Varia. 

Speaking of which, Mammon owed him Varia’s monthly expenses. He had forgotten to ask the last time they were together. They had gotten distracted discussing the idiocy of destructive coworkers who damaged more property than the two cared to pay for. 

Setting his drink down, he pulled a file from the stack and skimmed the contents. What he gathered made him groan in annoyance. It was the third draft for the trading proposal with the Raltepol Incorporation. Hayato had already inserted a few memo notes in the document and he could see some mark ups at the margins. The fact that it was marked up meant that he actually had to go through the entirety of the damned thing. And understand it. 

If he remembered correctly, the proposal needed to be presented next week. Tsunayoshi ran an aggravated hand through his hair before grabbing a pen. He was not looking forward to speaking with Hendrick. But closing this proposal would go a long way in pushing for a more international base in partners. Hayato would never let him hear the end of it if he neglected to go over everything Hendrick noted.

And considering the amount of trouble Tsunayoshi got into when he had attempted his first business merger, he really couldn’t blame Hayato for wanting to make sure that that was the first and last time it ever happened. A shiver ran down the brunette’s spine at the mere thought of the mishap. It was not one of his better moments. 

Suffice to say, Reborn had been quite displeased with him. “I did not tutor you so that you’d fail at a simple negotiation, idiot student.” 

“But-”

Reborn had chose to ignore his justifications and proceeded to trounce him. Hard. 

His tutor had then snipped at him through every step of the clean-up. And even though it was a losing argument, Tsunayoshi would alway stand by the fact that he told them that he was going to have a mishap eventually. 

Really, if one were to consider the pace that Tsunayoshi had gone to learn everything, it would have been strange if there weren't some problems along the way. He was no god. In fact, his school records still showed his abysmal grades. 

He had known from the moment he inherited the title of the Vongola, that he was woefully unprepared for the monstrosity. Even with the help of the previous leader and Reborn, he had been in a constant state of drowning from the incessant demands.

Therefore, he didn’t understand the level of perfection that they expected right from the get go. The variety of work was both ridiculous and demanding. Just the paperwork easily left him tied to his desk for hours on end. More often than not, he was found pulling all-nighters. The days he had reprieve from office work would instead be booked with scheduled meetings and events. 

He had travelling more than he had ever cared to. Reborn had went on about it being a necessity to be physically present to keep old clients and partners happy. Tsunayoshi believed it was Reborn being a cold hearted bastard of a teacher who loved watching him suffer. For that comment, he found himself leading endless conferences or attending business expos for a good month. 

This was definitely not how he envisioned his life of mediocrity to be. 

How some of his classmates had dreamed of this business-like lifestyle was beyond him. It was more of a nightmare he would happily do without. Granted, they probably didn't dream of the added bonus of being part of the Mafia. Tsunayoshi paused from his reading to glance at the rings on his fingers, unable to stop the beginnings of a rueful smile. If only they knew. 

The corporation aspect was just a guise. It was a delicately crafted facade that hid the more sinister side of life. By no means was the mafia a fabled fairy tale that parents told to scare children at night. It was quite real and rightfully dangerous. 

Over the years of adolescence, he had paid dearly, learning just how treacherous it could be. There were many things that he had done that many would have deemed impossible and unbelievable. And as much as he hated his tutor's methods, he was thankful for Reborn. Without him, he would never have come as far along as he thought he would have alone.

Looking at the papers before him, Tsuna let out a wistful sigh. He could easily remembered when the beginnings of his family were all just students. The most worrisome things were tests and getting the next assignment done. Back then, they simply enjoyed the daily routine of going to school and hanging out, peaceful and carefree.

However as time passed, he, as well as all of his friends, became further entrenched in the mafia. It was particularly after their trek to the future that he could say that they had all really started to change. That they really began to think of the commitment. After all, they had a firsthand taste of reality and violence; the idea of dying and killing lingered closely behind them. 

And while they returned home victorious every single time, it became increasingly difficult to readjust to normality; especially the girls and kids. He knew that even though they had tried very hard to hide it, the excursions left deep marks. 

As they grew older, Kyoko no longer smiled as much as she used to while Haru seemed to become less talkative and more introspective. It was not noticeable to their family and friends, but he could see it when they thought no one was looking. It always made him guilty.

Initially, he had tried to talk to them about it, he really did. However, they would simply brush it off and tell him not to worry. Through the rest of the school years, the two girls were constantly together. During that time, they were joined by Chrome and Hana as well. More than once, he had seen the four go off together into a café. As they grew older they started to frequent bars, much to his disconcertion. 

Lambo and I-Pin were also together a lot more, especially when Fuuta started travelling again. God, that fight when Fuuta said he wanted to study abroad had been a disaster. The two younger ones had wanted to go with the Ranking Prince but Tsunayoshi had forbade it. It took quite a long time before he could coax the two into forgiving him for that. Thankfully, Fuuta was willing to come back to Italy for the long breaks between class. It was a lot better now that Lambo and I-Pin started school as well. 

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a flying projectile heading. It was purely out of reflex that he caught the object before it hit him in the head. It was an apple. Tsunayoshi raised his brow before turning to the culprit who stood at the doorway, Reborn.

"You know, that could have knocked me out." admonished the brunette. He placed the fruit on top of a stack of folders and stretched with a yawn, “If you knocked me out, there would be no one to finish up this work. Then where will you be?” 

"You are becoming too complacent, dame-Tsuna," said Reborn with a slight smirk, coming to stop at his desk. He gave Tsunayoshi a calculated look, "Should we schedule another training session?"

Tsunayoshi shot the man a withering look, pointing his pen accusingly, “Are you still peeved that I sent Colonnello with you?” 

“I’m more peeved that you are dabbling in some old family feuds,” remarked Reborn, making Tsunayoshi twitch in surprise. “You’re pulling into a dangerous game, Tsuna.”

Internally, Tsuna wanted to curl into a ball and cry. He thought he would have been able to stall Reborn for a bit longer. But it was hard trying to hide things when he had someone who knew him so well and vise versa. The two had gone a long way together, creating a bond solely based on trust and belief in one another. Granted, the road to achieving this point was filled with plenty of explosions and more fights than Tsuna could care to count. For the sake of his sanity, he refused to think about it. 

They fought for that mutual trust. And while it had its many perks, there were downsides to it. Like now, for instance. He could only stare blankly as he tried to figure out what to say. Reborn arched a brow before letting out a pointed sigh. 

"Get back to work." ordered the hit-man and with a quick flick, aimed a pen at the young man who winced in pain at the impact, "The papers aren't going to finish themselves."

The hitman then took a few files from the stacks and seated himself on a sofa, browsing through the information. As if he didn’t just call Tsuna out on his plans. Tsuna frowned at him before reluctantly going back to his paperwork. It was never good when Reborn did that. It meant that the man had already started looking in. And while Tsuna was sure that his plans wouldn’t be found out for a good while, it still made him unhappy that he had to withhold the information. On one hand, he did want to talk with Reborn about this particular plan, on the other hand, if he did then Reborn would probably try to stage an intervention. 

In the end, the two sat in a semi-comfortable silence that was broken only by the quiet shuffling of paper and the scribbling of a pen. Tsuna had made it to the last couple of sections of the proposal before the sound of a chuckle broke through his concentration. 

That did not bode well.

He looked up from the papers and warily observed Reborn, who had pulled up another file to read, "The two that you sent to China are coming back this weekend."

"Already?" said Tsuna, unable to hold in the grimace, "I take it that Chrome couldn’t completely pacify Kyouya."

"You, of all people, should know better than to send your skylark to China,” replied Reborn as he flipped a page.

Tsuna rolled his eyes at the comment before taking a bite out of the neglected apple, "Fon was already there to smooth things out."

"He tried to go for the heads of the Triads."

Tsuna chuckled weakly, “They’re family? It runs in their blood?” 

“Fon took the time to call me and ask about the state of your mental well-being.”

"I had no choice! You should be proud that I didn’t send Mukuro instea-"

The door banged open, revealing two preteens, Lambo and I-pin. Oh dear. 

"TSUNA-NII!" shouted Lambo with an ecstatic grin as he held a rather blue looking bazooka in hand, "Giannini made new modifications!"

"Lambo! They're busy right now!" cried I-Pin. She tried to grab and drag Lambo out, much to the boy's dismay. "No! I want to show this to Tsuna-nii. He never plays with us anymore."

In his fight to get out of I-Pins clutches, the boy accidentally pulled the trigger. Tsuna could only stare in alarm as the shot went straight for him. A burst of blue smoke erupted and enveloped him before spreading throughout the room, leaving the other occupants coughing. 

As Reborn cleared the smog around him, he did not need the famed intuition to know that something was not right. He quickly made his way over to where Tsuna had sat, mere seconds before. There was no one to fill the seat. A sickening trickle of dread started to well up in his mind. It couldn’t be to the future. He refused to believe that. The hitman cursed quietly before turning to the two kids.

"Where's the weapon?" he asked. Lambo and I-pin traded fearful looks before pointing at the altered bazooka on the ground. As Reborn tried pick it up, the item began to crumble into pieces. What in the world?

"We heard an explosion. What's going on?" demanded Gokudera from the doorway trying to clear away the smoke that still lingered in the room. Behind him was Yamamoto who looked around the room, eyes narrowing when he did not see one particular person. They had just returned from a small meeting with another family. Having heard the sound of a tell-tale bazooka, the two came to check.

"The idiot cow fired a new weapon," muttered Reborn, his facial expression frigid, "It hit Tsuna."

Gokudera frowned, "So we just wait five minutes and he'll be back right?"

“We didn’t get an older Tsuna.” Yamamoto replied in Reborn’s stead, uncharacteristically grave, “Either something is wrong with the bazooka or…”

Lambo and I-pin traded looks of horror as they began to understand what Yamamoto implied.

Suddenly Giannini came running in looking extremely panicked and terribly out of breath, "Lambo!” He wheezed, “Where is the bazooka I gave you? That wasn't the one you were supposed to get. That one was a prototype!"

Gokudera rounded on Giannini, eye blazing with frustration, "Where does it send the person?"

“It was set for past events. Just a tinkering experiment,” Giannini frowned worriedly before replying "I didn’t think it would work."

Meanwhile, Tsuna was taking a rather wary look at his surroundings. He had fallen unceremoniously to the ground upon landing and garnered some suspicious looks. He gave a small smile before getting up and dusting himself. It didn’t take long to realize that something was off about the place he current was in. Something was really off. Though he was sure that he was still in Italy, many of the shops looked unfamiliar and rather old. After a moment of hesitation he began walking, melding into the throng of people to observe.

The longer he walked the more he began to notice that the people around him wore a style of clothing that was similar his time yet it seemed different, more old-fashioned? Their appearance and facial expressions were also more concealed and cautious, as if expecting trouble to jump out to get them. Or maybe he was just imagining it.

Ignoring the knot of apprehension forming in at the pit of his stomach, he began looking around for information. Luck was on his side as he meandered into an empty park. On one of the benches there a discarded newspaper. After a quick check to see if anyone was claiming it, he went over and swiped it up.

He nearly dropped it. 

He was not in the future.

He was in the past.


	2. Chapter 2

The newspaper slipped from his hands as he processed what he read. How was this even-! The past of all places! He closed his eyes as an impending headache threatened to take root. Thinking back, he did recall a passing conversation he had with Gianni. 

Because he was the face of a flourishing business, he had been forced to mingle with some of the clients for the Vongola after a general brunch meeting that Reborn had gone and planned for him. 

Again. 

Without his consent. 

And Reborn didn't even deign to stay with him, leaving him to slowly die of boredom as he listened to the gentlemen posture amongst themselves. Each had some story that they absolutely needed Tsunayoshi to hear. Tsunayoshi was more interested in how much paperwork he would be accumulating from this chunk of time being eaten away.

Luckily, he saw Gianni passing by in the hall as he was listening to a particularly long-winded tale and promptly took the chance. 

“Gianni-san, how have you and the others been?” Called Tsunayoshi, conveniently halting the one-sided conversation he was having with one of the clients, “I haven't seen any of you in a while.”

Gianni beamed, “I have a new pet project I've been working on with Spanner and Irie.”

Tsunayoshi twitched, warning bells going off in his mind. That was not what he wanted to hear. It was never a good sign when the three started on one of their pet projects. But before he could demand what exactly they were working on, another client took this as an opportunity to ask for Tsunayoshi’s time. 

“Mr. Sawada, I am honored that you have decided to hold this event. Can I introduce you to some of my partners?”

“I’ll let you know when we have more head way!” Said Gianni waving with a smile, “Maybe we’ll finally be able to go to the past!”

“Oh, they definitely made headway,” said Tsunayoshi in annoyance. He deeply regretted not following up that day. He had gotten distracted by a phone call from Kusukabe about a local group that was getting out of hand. He never followed up. He should have followed up. “They’ll be lucky if they ever get funding for any projects.”

Regardless of what the inventors had in mind, it was becoming very clear that they needed to have a talk, a very long talk. In fact, the moment he returned, those three gentlemen were going to be the first he would have a chat with. Any other meetings could be put on hold. He began pacing by the bench, choosing to ignore the wary looks he was garnering from his mutterings. 

It was no wonder that he hadn't already seen a familiar face! When he found himself in the future, which happened more often than he cared for it to occur, he could easily sit around with someone and chat. 

They would talk about miscellaneous things and he got a small break from work. Granted, there were a few times when he found himself in the company of the Varia. Those were not always pleasant. He winced as his most recent memory sprung unbidden in his mind. 

Xanxus had been in a rage about something that the Dino had let slip and decided to take his anger out on Tsunayoshi of all people. He had returned a lot more charred than usual much to Reborn’s amusement. 

But since he was in the past, he didn't even have Xanxus to fall back on. And honestly, he'd take Xanxus over this any day. Here, he knew neither the people nor places to go. 

His mood was further dampened by the fact that he had yet to be sent back to his own time. The usual time limit had passed. It was safe to say that he was stranded for the undetermined future.

He quelled the sudden urge to revert back to his teenage habit and scream for help, exhaling heavily. It would do him no good to have a panic attack in unknown territory. Reborn would never let him live it down if he were to ever find out and knowing that man, he would.

Curse his luck. 

He collapsed back on the bench, glumly observing the people bustling around. 

He knew things had been too peaceful the past couple of weeks: no excessive papers, no property damage, no problems with any other families, nothing. Of course there was a few things that he was looking into privately but it did not and should not have warranted this turn of events. 

Maybe he did something in his previous life that trashed his karma. He'd have to ask Mukuro about that when he got back. And then how to get rid of it. If he ever got back.

For now, he had to make sure he could survive here. Groaning, he got up and started walking. Maybe he could find some temporary job to wait it out. Think of it as one of Reborn’s unreasonable punishments... 

"I already have enough helpers," apologized the elderly baker. The man pointed to two young teens moving in the dried racks. "I can only afford having them."

Shaking his head, Tsunayoshi gave a small smile, "No, thank you for your time." 

“I do know a caffé on Delane Lane that is in need of help,” started the man, crossing his arm in consideration, “They are probably closing right now. But if you go tomorrow, tell them Marino sent you.” 

“I will give it a try,” said Tsunayoshi, “Thank you.” 

He quickly bid the man goodnight before walking once more. Another rejection to his list of five, but this one did yield better results. He’ll probably give this caffé a shot tomorrow. 

The problem now was his lack of shelter. The last few rays of the sunset were dimming into a thin shimmer along the horizon. At this rate, he would probably be spending the night sleeping out in the open. At least it was still somewhat warm outside. He's slept in worse conditions. 

So intent on his thoughts, the brunette was almost sent flying as he turned a corner and collided into a running figure. Luckily, he readjusted in time to stay standing. 

He glanced down at the cause of his misstep and was surprised to see that it was only a teen. However, at a closer inspection, the teen looked oddly familiar. But it just couldn't be-?

"Lambo? What are you doing here?" blurted out Tsunayoshi in confusion, holding out a hand to help the teen up.

Lambo stared at the brunette blankly before rudely pushing away the hand. "I am the great Lampo," he stated with an emphasis on the last syllable, bringing himself up pompously, "And I don't need your help."

The brunette resisted the sudden urge to roll his eyes at the teen's comment. Was this really not Lambo? The kid even acted like him! Only when he looked closer did he notice the more subtle differences that marked him as someone else. 

For one, this Lampo had lighter color hair that were not as unruly as his Lightning guardian's. The birthmark under the teen's eye was not a number sign but rather a mark shaped like a lightning bolt...a lightning bolt? 

And then a heavy sort of feeling began to settle in his stomach. It was just a coincidence. He couldn't be that far in the past… What was the year that was printed on the newspaper? 

He shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry," he apologized, scratching his head sheepishly, "I had mistaken you for someone else."

Lampo gave a miffed huff, "Who are you, huh?" demanded the teen, jabbing a finger at the brunette’s chest. "I’ve never seen you around before."

Tsunayoshi frowned for a moment as he pondered what to say. He had been planning to just tell the teen his name, but if his hunch really was correct then it probably would be best to lay low and avoid the teen and the teen’s associates. 

He didn’t want to get caught up in anything during his stay here. But...if he did, he’d have a place to stay which actually started to sound a lot more tempting then it should. But if Reborn found out, he'd be dead meat. 

Lampo could only stare with increasing confusion as the man who crashed into him let out a rather depressing sigh. Already, he was regretting that he said anything of the strange man. But as the teen opened his mouth to speak, he heard the sound of running footsteps and muffled shouts echoing through the eerily empty streets. 

Without waiting for a response, the teen yanked the man with him and down the streets. How could he have forgotten that there were people after him. “Come on, we need to get out of here!” rushed Lampo as they turned a corner, “Those guys are bad news!”

Tsunayoshi could only widen his eyes in alarm before letting himself be dragged away with a yelp. He had gotten a quick glimpse of the people that were chasing them when they rounded the corner and none of them looked friendly. He frowned as he quickly noted that some of them had been carrying weapons. Just who were they running away from?

When they finally stopped in a dark alleyway, Lampo all but collapsed as he tried to catch his breath. Tsunayoshi looked around warily, assessing their location. 

They had ran for quite a bit so the two had some time to stop. Tsunayoshi immediately turned to look at the teen. 

"Those men were armed," he accused quietly, eyeing the teen critically, "Why are they after a kid like you?"

While he knew the answer, he wondered if Lampo would actually tell him. And honestly, he was a bit worried. 

Lampo glared at him before looking away, crossing his arms defensively. "I don't know! They just started to chase me."

Tsunayoshi knew the tell tale sign of a lie when he saw one, especially since the teen was doing a poor job concealing it from his face. Really. It was like he was dealing with Lambo. 

He let out an exasperated sigh, barely hiding his amusement. "You are lying to me." The boy stiffened in surprise at the blatant accusation. Exactly like Lambo. "They want something from you."

The Vongola waited silently for a reply. Down to the way he blew at a loose strand, Lampo acted exactly as Lambo did when he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do. It was only a matter of whether or not the teen would trust him enough to tell him the finer details.

Now Lampo was in quite the dilemma. Lampo, on the other-hand, was grasping for something to say. No one had ever called him out for his lies. At least no one who didn't know him. And while he'd usually scoff, he felt strangely inclined to trust this man. 

He cast another glance at the man before him. While this strangely dressed man exuded an air of harmlessness, Lampo felt that there was something more to that.

He usually steered clear of civilians. It was never good to drag innocents in. But for some reason, Lampo felt compelled to pull the man with him, as if he could be trusted. And even if he tried to run away, chances were that the man would follow him, considering how easily the man kept up with his pace. Lampo was one of the faster runners so he could tell right away. He did not know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

After another moment, Lampo made his decision. He hoped that it was the right one. “Those men chasing us want to take this from me," Began the teen slowly, showing a rather familiar looking ring, “There’s a power in these rings that can cause serious damage if used wrongly.”

Tsunayoshi could only stare at the final piece of evidence that cemented his suspicions into a reality. One of the Vongola Rings, the same ring that Lambo had, has. Why did it have to come down to this. What was wrong with his luck?

Lampo, who mistook the brunette's surprise as disbelief, immediately tried to reason with the man, "I'm not joking, serious," said the teen with a determined glint in his eyes, "I can show you!"

That got a reaction out of Tsunayoshi, hands near flailing to stop the Lampo from doing whatever he was planning to do. No need for show and tell. 

"I don’t think we need to have a demonstration…," said the brunette firmly, "I believe you."

"I can-! Wait, you’re just going to believe me?" stumbled Lampo. The surprise was evident on his face at the rather quick agreement, "Did I just hear you right?"

Tsunayoshi looked at the teen in amusement, before gesturing at the ring, "Are those people aware of that power?"

"I don't know," said Lampo shrugging, using his other hand to cover his ring. There was a determined scowl on the teen's face, "But this ring is a treasure gift of mine and I'm not going to let them take it from me."

Tsunayoshi could not help the small smile at the protectiveness the teen was displaying for the ring. He ruffled the teen's head. Lampo twitched in surprise before jumping away from the brunette, patting his hair for anything suspicious.

"What was that for?" muttered Lampo indignantly, looking very peeved and embarrassed with how he was being treated, "I'm not a kid!"

Tsunayoshi chuckled at the reaction, "Sorry, You remind me of someone that that I know."

At the teen's questioning stare, Tsunayoshi shook his head in amusement and continued, "He also has a ring that he treasures greatly. To him, it symbolizes acceptance and family.

"I have a feeling that it has the same meaning to you as well," he finished quietly, smiling at the teen’s surprised flush. 

Before the teen could bother to ask, a deep snarl had the two males turning towards the entrance of the alleyway.

"You-"

"We found you, brat."

Tsunayoshi narrowed his eyes in calculation as he counted six men slowly surround them. Lampo had been showing signs of fatigue so he doubted that they could run that far even if they were to make a break for it. 

He was surprised and touched when Lampo suddenly put himself before him in an effort to protect him. 

"You sure gave us a run, but you got nowhere to run now," sneered one of the men, as he broke away from the group. He brandished a wicked knife as he eyed the potential prey with a particularly nasty look, "Now hand it over.”

Lampo cursed under his breath, internally regretting the lack of dedication he had for all those lessons that he had specifically for these situations. He should have tried harder. Nevertheless, he placed himself in front of the brunette, determined to protect. It was his fault that he got him involved. He eyed the men warily. He could see that the other men were also pulling out their weapons as they formed a semicircle around the two, leaving no means of escape.

The one who had spoken earlier, took another step closer, "Hand over the ring, kid and we might let you and your friend live."

Lampo gave a haughty glare, "Never." After another thought the teen stuck out his tongue, "Especially not to an ugly mug like you!"

The man twitched in annoyance, "You'll regret that, brat." snarled the man, his intent clear as he made a quick swipe at Lampo, "I'll teach you to mess with me."

The teen flinched and braced for the impact, arms up and eyes clenched shut. There was no pain. Lampo opened his eyes and stared in shock. 

There, holding back the man's wrist was the brunette. And from the looks of it, the bigger man was unable to budge his arm at all, not a single bit. How was he able to do it so effortlessly? The other men watched on in equal stupor as their leader was held back without even the slightest sign of any difficulty.

"You are not to touch him," said Tsunayoshi coldly, tightening his hold even more when the man tried to shake his grip off.

Thankfully, he had his back turned to Lampo; else the teen would have recoiled. The brunette's usual warm and kind eyes were narrowed into an unforgiving icy glare that sent chills up the spines of the men facing him. 

And while Lampo could not see Tsunayoshi's face, the tone was enough to make the teen flinch. It was a startling contrast to hear that warm and curious voice change into a commanding harshness. It was a bit scary, not that Lampo would admit such a thing.

The leader of the group sneered in contempt, “You think you stand a chance against all of us?"

With a slight smile that veered towards a Reborn-worthy smirk, Tsunayoshi answered, "You can't even free yourself."

“You're dead!” snarled the man, temper snapping. "You should have kept your pathetic mouth shut."

When Tsunayoshi only chuckled, the infuriated man lashed his weapon towards the brunette's body. Who did this scrawny brunette thing he was? He was going to teach him a lesson in messing with the Mafia.

Lampo gave a shout of distress at the brunettes taunting words. Was he crazy? The man had a weapon! And yet, somehow, the hit never connected. If Lampo had blinked, he would have missed it. The man crumpled to the ground. With a simple brute but efficient blow to the head, Tsunayoshi knocked the leader down.

This was child's play compared to what Tsunayoshi experienced on a daily basis with his fellow guardians and friends alike. At first, there was silence as the other men stared in shock at their fallen comrade. However, that shock was quickly replaced with rage as Tsunayoshi turned to them. They all rushed towards Tsunayoshi, aimed to kill.

Tsunayoshi frowned. He had hoped that they would have been smart enough to run when they had the chance. Did they think that because there were more of them that they would be able to swarm him? Either they were blind or stupid. This was going to be then it would be their loss. He grimaced, he was starting to sound like Reborn. 

The brunette crouched into a more comfortable position, bracing himself for the all out brawl. With relative ease, he dispatched each and every one of them, careful to avoid outright killing them. Really, compared to the people he normally fought, these men were highly unorganized and un-agile, definitely not worth the time.

Lampo could only watch in shock. He knew these men were strong. Yet, here was a man, who stood only a couple inches past their shoulders, trouncing them like they were nothing but novices. Lampo had a feeling that this man was not even using all of his strength. It was over in a matter of moments. Tsunayoshi sighed as he straightened the cuff of his sleeve, before turning back to the teen. 

Lampo could not help but blurt out, "Who the hell are you?"

To which Tsunayoshi only gave a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a fantastical week!


	3. Chapter 3

“How in the world did you do that?” Lampo demanded as he eyed the brunette with renewed suspicion, “Why-"

The teen was interrupted by a chuckle that escaped from the brunette. Lampo glared suspiciously. The man looked harmless in his laughter. If Lampo hadn’t seen it before, he would have never believed that the brunette could possibly show such a cold exterior. 

"I think we should get away from here first.” He gestured at the men groaning on the ground before beckoning the teen to follow him out of the alleyway. “I only knocked them unconscious."

Lampo glowered in annoyance, but complied. He trailed the man as quickly as his tired body could go. They slipped into another alleyway and towards what Tsunayoshi believed was the correct direction of Lampo’s destination. He slowed their gait when he noticed just how exhausted the teen was becoming. 

The teen took this as an opportunity to speak, “So who are you? You’re definitely not from around here.” 

Tsunayoshi continued to scan their surroundings as he gave a small smile, "I go by Tsuna." They still had quite a bit of travelling to do. It wouldn’t be too bad to talk. 

Lampo frowned, nose scrunching up as he sounded out the name "Tsuna? That's not Italian, right? You’re a foreigner or something?"

Tsuna chuckled at the teens pronunciation but he nodded, "Along that line. I was originally from Japan."

Lampo blinked in surprised, "You're very fluent for a foreigner."

Tsuna could only think back to his teen years and grimace at that less than stellar time. He just barely held back a phantom shiver. "Let's just say that I had a rather enthusiastic tutor who had a streak for life threatening methods of teaching. Believe me, he is someone you would never ever want as a teacher."

Lampo could not help but crack a grin at the brunette’s humorous description. He continued on, eager to have his questions answered. For the most part, Tsuna did not seem averse to responding and even going into detail when Lampo expressed his confusion. He was patient with Lampo and Lampo was not use to that .

"So, why did you come to Italy?" asked Lampo, as they walked past another block. He gestured at the brunette, “You sorta stick out.”

“Unintentional accident,” said Tsuna, giving a helpless shrug, “One minute I was there and then I found myself all the way here. I didn’t ask for this!”

Lampo snickered at the brunette’s outright despair of his predicament, “Maybe your tutor planned it all.” 

Tsuna let out a mirthless chuckle, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a part in this.”

The two continued to walk in a comfortable silence. Tsuna took care to watch their surroundings. Honestly, the longer he stayed here, the more jarring it was to see the differences of once familiar roads. 

“We should be far enough,” Tsuna commented absently as he looked around. They were maybe three city blocks from where he guessed Lampo’s final destination was to be. That should be enough. “I guess we can part ways from here.”

Lampo startled, before blurting out, “You can come with me and my family can help you. You haven't answered even half of my questions!” 

Tsuna looked at the teen, who looked just as surprised by his own words as he did, before shaking his head in amusement, “Lampo, I'm a stranger. I don’t think they’ll be completely receptive to that.”

“But I can tell them you helped me,” Lampo reasoned, much more animated now that he had that idea going. He began walking backwards arms gesturing widely as he faced Tsuna, with a childish enthusiasm, “Because you did! You really helped m-!!!” 

“Lampo!” Tsuna yelled as the teen was roughly dragged into the shadows of the alleyway. He cursed his inattentiveness as he was immediately surrounded. He had gotten lax and assumed they were safe. 

In his time, no hostile families would dare to tread so deep in his territory without his own knowing. But he failed to remember this was not his time and now they had Lampo. He made a move forward only to be blocked off by the group. 

“Where do you think you’re going, trash?” The man that blocked the way to the alley sneered, shoving the brunette back. Tsuna glanced around as the others brandished their weapons and began to draw closer. He didn’t recognize them for being the ones that he had seen earlier. 

He frowned as he began to wonder just what was really going on, something niggling at the back of his mind in suspicion. Nevertheless, he needed to get to Lampo. He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, this would have to be quick. 

Lampo kept struggling as he was dragged across the ground but it was all for naught. The man’s grip was relentless, “Let me go, damn it!” 

He had caught a glimpse of Tsuna being surrounded and was horrified. He had gotten the man into this mess and now he didn’t even know if the man would survive. It was all his fault! 

He was grabbed by the neck and slammed into the brick wall. He blinked back the stars that dotted his vision as he faced the leader of the group. The man looked intimidating compared to all the other grunts that had been chasing him.

"You gave my men a good chase but we have you now." 

"Let me go, you BASTARD- !" Lampo's head reeled to the side from the sudden punch. He could feel the immediate pain spread from the side of his face and the coppery tang of blood filled his mouth. His head was throbbing as blood rushed into the swelling cheek. 

"Not so strong without your little friend, huh brat?"

When Lampo stayed silent the leader smirked, "You gave us a good chase but you’re not getting away this time." With that said, the leader signaled two of his men to hold the teen down. As Lampo realized just what they were going for, he began struggling fiercely. "NO! You can't have it!"

But it was futile. He was completely drained from the constant running and watched helplessly as the ring, his ring damn it, was slipped off. Lampo despaired as the smirking man tossed the ring up and down mockingly. Damn them all.

The man only laughed at the look of anguish before turning to leave, "Dispose of the kid and remember, no traces. Don't need any loose ends this time."

The two goons traded looks of savage glee. Lampo snarled at the men before him hatefully. While he tried desperately to put up a brave front, deep inside he was shaking with pent up fear, anger, and despair. How was he going to get out of this one?

One of the men that was standing before Lampo began cracking his knuckles impatiently. "Gotta start with some payback for the traps," he sneered.

With nary a warning he punched Lampo in the gut. Lampo could only grunt in surprise and pain before falling to his side, no longer propped up. The other man was quick to kick Lampo into the wall. Though there was no sound of a crack yet, the impact left Lampo stunned, he was beginning to see stars.

The two jeered at the groaning teen, "What happened, brat, can’t run anymore can you?" 

“Stay away from him.” 

The frigid voice cut through the alleyway, making the men turn abruptly. Lampo forced himself up against the wall, looking in the direction they were turned to, hope and relief momentarily overriding the pain he felt. 

However that feeling was quickly replaced by something akin to fearful awe. There stood Tsuna but gone was the cheerful warmth. It was almost as if this was a completely different person, what with the frostiness of his glare and was that blood on his cheek?

“Pathetic,” said the brunette, “Too scared to pick on someone your own size?” 

Taunt triggered, the two men both went with a rageful fervor leaving Lampo forgotten by the wall. That elicited a feral smirk from Tsuna, Kyoya would be ever so proud. Tsuna wasn’t usually this itchy for fights but the day had really wrung him dry and seeing Lampo in such a state had his anger rearing. The lackeys were running into a losing battle that he was than happy to oblige in.

Lampo could only watch as the scrappy brunette trounced the two with the ease of a practiced fighter. It was almost unfair. They could barely even touch him for all their bulk and weapons at hand. The relief of being safe had him leaning back

He was brought out of his thoughts when his side started to throb, hissing in pain as the adrenaline ebbed from his body and left behind pain and aches. He quickly turned to Lampo, moving to help the injured teen up. 

"Are you alright? I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get here sooner, I had to take a small detour," said Tsuna, worry evident in his features as he checked the teen over, letting out a tsk when he saw how much Lampo was favoring his left side

Lampo gave a small frown, unable to hide his wonder, "Why?" 

"Why what?" said Tsuna, brows scrunched in concentration as he slowly helped the teen up.

Lampo made a gesture towards the unmoving figures around them, wobbling when he finally stood, "Why do you keep going so far for a stranger like me?"

When Tsuna made sure that Lampo was going to be alright, he gave a small laugh, “What would that make me if I didn’t? You seem like a good kid."

“That’s it?!” 

At the incredulous look on Lampo’s face, Tsuna shook his head in amusement and a devious smile unfurled. “Hold out your hand.” 

Lampo squinted his eye in suspicion, suddenly wary, as the brunette fumbled through his pockets all the while muttering something to quiet for Lampo to hear. 

When he found what he was looking for, he looked to the teen extending his closed hand. Hesitantly, the teen put his hand out and watched in trepidation as Tsuna placed something in his palm. When he revealed it, Rampou could feel his jaw drop in complete shock. It was his ring! "How did you-!"

Tsuna gently ushered the teen to walk, mindful of the teen was distracted. "It just so happen that after I was able to get away from those people from before, I saw the man walking away from here tossing it. I helped relieve it from him before getting to you. That's the abbreviated summary of it. Hey-Woah!"

Lampo tackled him, hugging with what seemed to be everything he had. "Thank you for so much." Said the teen quietly, suddenly looking much younger. 

Tsuna patting the teen on the back, an indulgent smile creeping into his face. The teen truly did remind him of Lambo. 

The sweet moment was broken by a suddenly growl of fury. It was the man that had who looked completely consumed with rage. In his hand was a knife aimed at them. "I'm going to kill you!"

Tsuna whirled Lampo away with a quick jerk, grimacing as a sharp pain ran down his arm that he could not move away in time. Lampo didn't even think, green flames flickering like bolts of lightning erupting from his ring. The man flinched back but it was too late, the bolts raced through the knife and enveloped him in a blinding green. The man dropped like dead weight, the bloodied knife clattering to the side. 

Tsuna’s eyes narrowed as the flames flickered out as quickly as they came and Lampo all but collapsed into him, heaving in and out like he ran a marathon. 

“Lampo? Hey, I need you to stay with me.” 

Lampo groaned in pain as everything finally came back with a vengeance. Try as he might to stay lucid, he was just too tired. The flames were just too much on top of the stress from the day. He felt himself being lifted and carried. He was dimly aware of a familiar voice shouting but it sounded so muffled. 

The last thing he saw was a bright warm yellow flame. Then everything was black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still here, gonna get somewhere. You guys are awesome for sticking with my bum ass of a writer. Truly. Thank You

**Author's Note:**

> This will get done. I swear, it's going to get done. Rewriting with plans to make into a series. I'm so sorry for being gone for so long. You guys are the best. Thank you for reading!
> 
> If you want to read it on FF.net, it's https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5753777/1/Present-in-the-Past   
> But there are going to be a lot of changes. Yes, that is my account. Yes, I haven't touched it in a long time. But I'm going to do it.


End file.
